If you had Googled Andrew Landry’s name prior to last week, a mere handful of items would have popped up. Perform the same function following his sensational performance in the U.S. Open and you will find any number of stories about him, the Pea Patch and what threatened to be the biggest upset in golf history.

One could, indeed, make a convincing argument Landry, in his proverbial “15 minutes of fame,” received more national publicity in the past five days than all the other professional golfers combined from Southeast Texas in the entirety of their careers. The Golf Channel, ESPN, FOX television, Golf Digest, Golfweek, major newspapers. He touched all the bases.

Matter of fact, you should Google him today and check out how America’s golf writers jumped all over the “unknown” from Groves who, for 54 holes, redefined Cinderella. Some of the stuff written about the Port Neches-Groves ex was really creative and is a must read for anyone who knows him.

Andrew, of course, like Marty Fleckman back in 1967, struggled in the closing round, finally signing off on a 78 that left him tied for 15th.

Nobody who understands golf will think less of him for it, particularly after considering that Oakmont laid waste to the likes of Rory McIlory, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Rickey Fowler and many other big names.

Even in shooting 78, Landry showed championship character. After stumbling to a 42 on the front nine Sunday, he grinded on the back nine like a guy fighting for the lead. A bogey at 10 was followed by eight consecutive pars and he walked off the 72nd hole with his head held high.
Fleckman, who 49 years ago as an amateur led Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer at the 54 hole mark of the U.S. Open, before closing with an 80, was both sympathetic to and duly impressed with Landry.

“I didn’t know much about him,” said the former Port Arthur great who now is the Director of Instruction at BlackHorse Golf Club in Houston. “He showed me enough in those first three rounds to make me think he has a bright future. He did so many things well on a very difficult course. It has to build his confidence.”

Fleckman admitted he thought about 1967 while watching Landry struggle on Sunday.
“I can’t really address what he was going through, but it is so tough to bounce back when you get off to a shaky start on a course like that. In my case, I fell behind, got too aggressive with my putter and wound up three-putting six greens.”

So what would Fleckman tell Landry if they crossed paths?

“I would tell him to think about what he accomplished and believe in himself. Learn from both the good things and the bad things that happened. A veteran player once told me there is always some good you can get out of the bad. I’m a firm believer that success breeds success. He will be a better player going forward.”

The good for Landry starts with the fact that he bumped a couple of golf’s all-time greats — Ben Hogan and Gary Player — out of the record book with his first round 66 at Oakmont. He’ll own sole possession of that record at least until the U.S. Open returns to its favorite host site in 2025.

Landry can also lay claim to the highest U.S. Open finish of any player from Southeast Texas. Fleckman, after his Sunday skid in 1967, finished 18th.

Beaumonter Bruce Lietzke wound up tied for 1 in 1981. That T15, by the way, sent Landry skyrocketing from No. 624 to No. 329 in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Oh, yes, there’s also the endorsement he picked up after that opening 66. Austin-based Moonshine Sweat Tea made a deal with Landry’s agent, Jeff Stacy, for its logo to be displayed on the sleeve of Andrew’s golf shirts. Moonshine had to move quickly to get the logos in place by the second round.

Meanwhile, among the multitudes impressed with Landry’s performance were fellow PN-G ex Chris Stroud and former Lamar golf coach Brian White. White had Landry for one year at LU and has worked with him from time to time since he finished at Arkansas.

“I am very proud of Andrew,” said Stroud, who returns to the PGA Tour this week. “He’s like a bulldog that won’t stop fighting. I’m not surprised that he had a chance to win. All he needs is opportunity.

“We may never see a lower score on opening day at the U.S. Open in our lifetime,” Stroud continued. “I’m proud to say a Groves native has a record that may stand the test of time.”

“What Andrew did was fantastic,” said White. “I always thought he would be capable of playing well in an Open because of how driving the ball has always been his strong suit. What really impressed me was how well he handled all the delays and restarts, and bounced back in rounds two and three.

“That shows his toughness. I’ve always said he was tenacious. It’s what makes him a player. He’s always fighting and trying to show he can play. It’s what made him a great teammate in college and has driven him as a pro. I see the U.S. Open as being a major turning point in his career.”

One noteworthy sidebar to Landry’s memorable week is the psychological impact it likely had on another rising PN-G star in the golf world — Braden Bailey. While Landry was making his statement at Oakmont, Bailey was finishing T2 in the prestigious Southwestern Amateur in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Bailey and Landry, you see, pretty much look eye to eye. Not that Bailey doesn’t believe a player on the small side can succeed big time in golf, but it had to be solid reinforcement watching the 5-7, 150 pound Landry go head to head with eventual champion Dustin Johnson (6-4, 200) on Saturday. And more than hold his own.

Despite standing tall on golf’s biggest stage, there is one huge obstacle in Landry’s immediate path. The harsh reality of PGA Tour life is that he’s No. 182 in FedEx Cup points, couldn’t get into this week’s Quicken Loans Invitational and remains in danger of having to return to the Web.com Tour in 2017.

In the remaining 2016 events that are open to him — maybe a half dozen — he will need to play well enough to move up to 125 in Fed Ex points. If that doesn’t happen, he’ll be relegated to the latest version of tour qualifying school.

With his game obviously having turned a corner, Landry certainly has reason to be optimistic that he can make a dramatic move up the points list and avoid Q-school. It’s not over the top to suggest he might even be able to win an upcoming event.

One thing is for sure. Following Andrew’s exploits just got a whole lot more interesting.

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Bob West is the golf writer for the Port Arthur News. His regular golf notepad will appear in Wednesday’s issue.